What a bloody stupid question but lots of people are asking it. You see, TechCrunch have published a report of a sneak preview of the upcoming, not yet formally announced Amazon Tablet. The report is very plausible and indicates that Amazon is taking a very different approach to the tablet market – some is good, some worrying.
Beginning with the basics, it looks like being:
- 7 inch – a good choice as that makes it just a little bigger than the hugely successful e-ink Kindle 3. This relatively small size means it’s going to be more comfortable to use as an ebook reader than the iPad or any other large tablet. It also suggests that Amazon wants to be sure the form factor doesn’t get in the way of Amazon’s main business – selling books
- Highly customised version of Android – not surprisingly Amazon has taken the core of the Android OS and added extensive user interface customisations on top. What this suggests is that the tablet will have specific functions rather than being a multipurpose device as is the case with most existing tablets. Frankly, Amazon will want to make it as easy as possible to find, buy and use media and books from them. My experience with a Kindle 3 is that this works beautifully – overall much more simple and quicker than using iTunes
- …but an old version - reportedly, Amazon have based their OS on Android 2.x (probably 2.1 or 2.2) and given how customised it is (it’s described as a “fork”), it would seem unlikely that Honeycomb will ever be available on the first generation device
- Amazon App Store – big surprise, the only marketplace will be Amazon’s App Store. This will suit many users given the huge proliferation of Android Apps since it introduces a little welcome quality control
- Wifi only – intially at least. Who cares?
- $250 – massively undercutting the iPad and most other competing tablets. It’s the same strategy as with the existing Kindle – Amazon is expecting to make most of its money from media purchases (I calculated recently that I’ve spent £300 in less than a year with my Kindle)
I think this sounds incredibly promising: for the first time a major player is releasing a tablet with a very specific purpose, and a useful purpose at that. Tied to a massive media catalogue, users can now enjoy a single device at a low cost that covers all entertainment bases.
BUT
- However good the display, a backlit screen is not going to offer a reading environment as comfortable as the existing Kindle. For people only interested in ebooks the new Kindle is actually a downgrade. Because of this, I expect the existing Kindle 3 to remain in production as the entry level device.
- What about the UK? The US Android App Store was launched in March and there’s no sign of a UK one as yet. I simply can’t see any prospect of a UK version of the Kindle Tablet launching until that store is up and running – it looks as though Amazon is, again, launching for the US and only then considering expansion. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if a UK version isn’t available for a year or so.
So, does it impact on the ipad and other tablets? Only up to a point. If you want a general purpose tablet then the ipad, Asus eeePad or Samsung Galaxy Tab range are much better choices. If you want a media consumption device with some potential for other uses OR simply can’t afford the other tablets then the Kindle Tablet (Kindlet?) might fit the bill.
Either way, I don’t expect this device to impact negatively on Apple’s device or the bigger Android tablets – I think it’s likely to appeal more to a new market in addition to the budget buyers. Good on them, looks like Amazon is planning to break the mould again.
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